Don't Forget To Remember Me
by GeorgiaGirl1331
Summary: An alternate take on what happens after Damon gets shot with werewolf venom, and Elena ends up with the cure in hand.
1. Chapter 1

The season finale was perfect. I don't think there is a way to make it better. I came up with an alternate way. I hope you like it!

* * *

_Elena,_

_I wrote this letter as an insurance plan if this whole werewolf venom pans out the way it's suppose to. I probably have less than ten minutes to write this. Ric just won't leave me alone. Obsessed alcoholic. Kidding. Him being back here even if it's only for a little is one of the best things anyone can give me. The other is for you to be human. Live that life you wanted Elena. Go to college, find a husband, have kids, and hell buy yourself a dog. Or cat. Which ever you prefer. I want you to know that the night we had together was the happiest I've been in a really long time. I never meant to take advantage of you with the sire bond. I should have knew something was up with you choosing to be with me over Stefan. But I love you, Elena. I can't be selfish with you even though every bone in my body tells me to. I'm leaving. I don't want you to have to deal with saying goodbye to me again. Stay with Stefan he will keep you safe. Just do me one favor. When your sad, remember me. Remember how much of a dick I am. That should make you smile. I always loved your smile. You don't deserve to be sad._

_I better go. Never know when a ghost will pop up. Don't cry either. Just think I'll get to keep Ric company for eternity now. (I can't think of a better way to spend my real dead life.) Don't ever show this to anyone. It's sappy as hell. Who wants to go out a wimp?_

_P.S.) If i can find Jeremy I'll keep an eye on him for you._

_I love you._

_Damon_

She knew he was dying but they also had a way to fix it. Now reality is dawning on her. He's leaving to die alone. He's not going to take the cure. He's given up. Damon Salvatore doesn't give up. He risked everything to help find that cure. He knew there was a chance she would hate him, that maybe her love wasn't real. He did it for her. Because he couldn't be selfish with her. And how she hurt him, God, she was awful to him. Everything Damon has done has been for love. She thought she knew it a long time ago, but really she didn't. What he has done for her is love, and she can't tell him that it wasn't all in vein because she loves him. All consuming, tremendously, one human life isn't long enough, wants forever loves him. She can't let him die. She finally understands why he forced his blood on her. He just couldn't let her die.

"Ric!" She uses her vamp speed to get down stairs.

"What's wrong?"

"Where is Damon? We have the cure. He can take it. He will live."

"Elena he didn't want it. He wants you to have it."

"Ric where is he?"

"I don't know Elena. Caroline called him." She barely lets him finish his sentence before she is pulling him with her out the door.

"Let's go. We're going to see Caroline. He's going to take this cure. I don't care if I have to force it down his throat. He can't die."

"Elena-"

"Don't. I have lost everyone. I can't lose him too. I won't survive it."

"Does he know?"

"Know what?"

"That you love him."

"Obviously not." She hands the letter to Ric and sees his face fall. He didn't know Damon was going to leave.

Elena makes it to Carolines in record time. She's out of the car and pounding on the door before Ric even closes the car door to follow her.

"Caroline! Open this door right now!"

"Jesus Elena. What's wrong?"

"Where is Damon?" She pushes past her friend and starts to look around the house for him. He was weak before he couldn't make it too far. She had just seen him under an hour ago.

"He left."

"Why? Why didn't you call me? What did you need him for? He's dying and I have the cure. He doesn't even know I love him. I have to tell him. He can't die. I know you hate him but Care-"

Caroline's hand is covers Elena's mouth and telling her to take a breath.

"Are you calm?" Elena nods her head."Good. Sit down and I'll tell you what happened."

"Okay."

"I called Damon because Klaus made it back into town. He gave me the his blood. Three vials. Insurance, ya know? So I called Damon. I may hate him Elena but I know you don't and I know that him dying would devastate you. So he came over and downed one of the vials.."

"So he's okay?"

"He's okay." Caroline tells Elena and she finally feels like it's going to be okay.

"Where did he go?"

"I don't know. He just asked me to give you this." Caroline hands her a folded piece of notebook paper with a sad smile.

_Elena,_

_Another note. Damn, aren't you lucky? I never write. Ever. To anyone. So I'm not dying, and now you don't want the cure. You are so stubborn. Here's the bottom line. I know you wanted to hurt me when you told me we weren't real, but maybe we weren't. I just didn't want to believe it. the real dilemma here is I love you, and you are my brothers girl. Always have been. I'm not going to make you choose again. Just be happy. Tell Ric I'm going to miss him. Oh and remember me sometimes?  
_

_Damon_

"Where is he Caroline?"

"I don't know Elena. He thanked me and just asked me to give you the note."

"He's gone Ric." Time freezes for Elena.

This time Ric doesn't take the letter Elena tries to hand him. He just takes her into his arms. He wishes there was some way he could help her. Even if he were back on the other side all he could do is watch over Damon. There is no way to tell her where he is. The only thing he can do is get Jeremy now. He picks Elena up and carries her to her car. He takes her back to the one place he knows she needs to be. Damon's room. She isn't hysterical, but the tears seem to be endlessly pouring down her face. She doesn't bother to wipe them. She just stares into nothingness.

Ric wants to cry for her. Damon is a jackass. Trying to be noble isn't his thing. So what the hell was he thinking? He finally could have had the girl. Right now he has to go into _'Team Badass'_ mode and come up with a plan. He needs to get a hold of Jeremy and fill him in on what happened. He has to find Bonnie, see if she can give them more time, and find out if tracking Damon is possible.

And in the back of his mind he's wishing that this plan included his best friend and wasn't about him.


	2. Chapter 2

I just wanted to say thank you for the reviews and the follows. I hope you like the second chapter as well. :)

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"Elena where have you-what happened? Are you okay?" Jeremy barely finishes his sentence before Elena is in his arms. Then just as quick she pulls back to look at him. She touches his face and tears well up in her eyes again.

"Jer, oh my God. Your still here. Of course you are, Ric is. I'm so sorry. I was distracted by Damon. I just-I don't-I love you Jer." Again she barrels into the boy who should have gotten the chance to be a man. The only family she had left. The one whose loss turned her into a mess.

"What's going on?"

"He's gone. He left me."

"Who?"

"Damon." She says his name like a long lost prayer she's begging for. Begging for him to answer. Begging for him to come back.

"What? Why would he do that?"

"He thinks I don't love him. I never got to tell him, and now he's gone. He left because he doesn't know. He thinks it was all a lie."

"I'm sure we can find him. Damon isn't the most open guy but he's told me a couple of his favorite places. Drunk men tell no lies, right? Maybe we could ask Bonnie for some help too?" Ric chimes in trying to help. If they can't be with her then Damon sure as hell has to be. This is what he wanted. To finally have her. To get the girl you have to stay. Look after the kids.

"Later. I don't have much longer with you guys. Damon is alive and that's enough for right now."

"Elena we need to talk."

"Please tell me you have good news not bad. I can't take anymore bad news."

"It's good and bad. We should sit." They make their way to the sofa by the fire. Elena and Ric take a seat and Jeremy paces for a minute trying to think of a way to start this.

And then Bonnie appears. She gives him a nod and a smile.

_'You can do this. You have to.' _She tells him, and with her there with him he knows he can do it.

"Jer maybe-"

"No Ric. You need to hear it too."

"What's going on?" Elena asks brushing her hair away from her face and finally wiping the mascara ridden tear marks away.

"The veil is closed."

"Then how are we still here?" Ric asks.

"I'm trying to tell you." Jeremy lets out a frustrated sigh. None of this was easy."The other side rewarded Bonnie for being able to dessicated Silas."

"So I get both of you back?" She asks with a voice filled with hopefulness and he's glad he has a semblance of good news to give her before he breaks another piece of her heart. Jeremy is glad she's so strong because no one should have to deal with this much loss and heartbreak.

"Yes."

"But magic always comes with a price? What price do you guys have to pay to be here?"

_'She was always so smart. Keep going.'_ Bonnie encourages him.

"The price is paid. The witches gave Ric his life back because he was turned against his will, and while he was alive he helped humans. Even if helped vampires and his best friend was one. When he died he couldn't move on because he had unfinished business. He was suppose to watch over us Elena. He was suppose to be apart of this. We lost our parents, you lost your biological ones, we lost Jenna. Ric was their gift to us to show that doing good can be rewarded no matter what you are."

"I get to stay?"

"You get to stay."

"Oh, Ric." Elena says before hugging the man that willingly stepped in to be their family when he didn't have to. Jer embraces him seconds later. Then it dawns on her. How did she get lucky enough to keep them both?

"Jer, how do you get to stay?"

"Bonnie."

"She brought you back?"

"She traded her life for mine."

Elena and Ric have no words. Elena just pulls Jeremy to her and holds on tight. Sobs take them both over. Part of her is so happy to have these two people back that she needs in her life, but the other hates that her best friend died in order for it to happen.

"Elena Bonnie wants me to tell you something."

"She's here?"

"Of course. I can still see ghosts."

Elena can't help but smile at that.

"She says that you don't have to be sad. That she's with her Grams. She wants you to be happy. You deserve it. She said to find Damon, and don't let love like that go. She wants you to know she will always be here and she loves you. She doesn't regret her choice, and you shouldn't take on any guilt than you already do. She says anytime we need her help she'll be there. It'll just be through me."

"I love you Bonnie. I don't know what else to say but thank you."

"She said she loves you too and you welcome."

"I still don't understand. After all the bad luck, and death I get you guys back. Damon's alive. Silas is gone. Klaus left town. I feel like the other shoe has to drop."

"How about we don't look a gift horse in the mouth?" Ric starts out. "We still have an M.I.A. Damon. Jeremy and I are both alive when we are suppose to be dead. How the hell are we going to explain that one? You burnt the house down, which means we have to all stay here and not be seen yet. We have to tell Stefan about Damon, Caroline about Bonnie. And you, Elena, have to tell Stefan your choice. I think that's enough drama to handle for now, yeah?"

"Where do we start?" Elena asks with a beaming smile. Hopefully soon she would have all the guys she loved by her side.


	3. Chapter 3

I just wanted to say thank you again for the reviews and the follows. Enjoy! :)

* * *

Elena flops down on Damon's bed exhausted from her conversation with Stefan.

_"Damon is alive. Klaus made it back in time. Turns out Caroline is as persuasive as you getting blood out of Klaus."  
_

_"Good. I'm glad. Where is he?"_

_"Gone."_

_"Gone? Gone where?"_

_"I wish I could tell you."_

_"What does that mean?"_

_"It means he left."_

_"Why would he leave?"_

_"Because the sire bond is broken. Because he thinks I'm going to forget everything I felt with him. Because he thinks I'm going to run back to you. Because he thinks he is always going to be second best. Loved, but never enough. Because I told him nothing was real."_

_"Nothing was real?" His voice laced with confused hopefulness. Hope that she's going to crush with the words she's going to speak._

_"I'm sorry."_

_"What exactly are you sorry for? I'm confused Elena."_

_"I lied."_

_"About?"_

_"I lied to you Stefan, I lied to Damon. I told him that it was always going to be you, Stefan. That I was always going to love you. I thought it was true, and out of everything I've said to him that is the only thing that sticks in his mind. He was never anybody's first choice and I let him think he wasn't mine. You weren't asking for forever Stefan. You were fine with right now, and at the time it was all I could give. I knew I loved you both, but I was so scared to loose either of you. He would want it all, I couldn't give him that before. Then I turned and I remembered Damon compelling me to forget him telling me he loved me. I met him first Stefan. I told him the night I made my choice that it was because I met you first. Except I met him, and I liked him Stefan. He understood me in two minutes. I didn't get how that was possible. Until I started thinking about it. I realized that it was always like that with Damon and I. We had this understanding with one look. Only one look and we could speak a hundred words. I accepted it finally, and everything became so overwhelming. Everything I lied about, felt about, ignored between Damon and I was all there. He consumed me, and what I felt for you didn't compare. It's awful and I am so sorry, but I couldn't ignore it. Then Caroline comes at me with the sire bond and I was confused again. I knew I loved him before I turned but I didn't think it was enough. But was it because I didn't let myself or was it because of the sire bond? When I turned it off I was free. I knew what I felt and I ignored it again. I flirted with you at prom to make Damon jealous. I threw his feelings in his face because I knew if he didn't stop trying to save me he would save me and at that point I didn't want to be saved. So for every move he made to bring me back I had to hurt him. No one mattered but Damon. I never got to tell him, and I never got to explain it to either of you. He thinks you and I are going to get back together, and I know you hoped. I never want you to lose hope about anything but I'm in love with Damon. I have always needed him even when I had you. You shouldn't need someone else like that when your in love with someone Stefan. I did, and it's not fair to you but I can't let him go. I need you to help me find him. If you won't do it for me then do it for Damon. He was going to let us be happy Stefan. He was done hurting you. I don't want to hurt you any more either but we have to find him and I can't do it without you."_

_"For Damon." Stefan tells her, and really she didn't expect it for any other reason. They were brothers, brother who hated each other at points, who fought almost all the time, but loved each other with so much more fierceness and loyalty than they would admit._

_"For Damon."_

She rolls over and is so thankful that it's so late. She can't deal with anyone else at this point.

Damon's bed has got to be the most comfortable bed ever made. Well, as comfortable as the rest of the beds like this one. The thing is because this one is his makes the difference to her. If she found another one like this and laid on it Elena doesn't think it would feel the same. The sheets wouldn't be the highest count of Egyptian cotton. The bed frame wouldn't be the custom design he picked out. The most important would be the smell, so even if there was an exact replica it would never be the same.

And the smell is fading.

She showers in his shower, drinks his bourbon but still can't make the bed smell like Damon. His scent is just that...his. There is no recreating it.

She pulls the covers over her and buries her head in the pillows. Exhausted as Elena was she couldn't figure out how to shut her mind off. Nine full days and nothing. No phone call, no text message, no Damon.

Turns out the only time you watch over people from the other side is if they are loved ones. Damon and Bonnie may have reached common ground but they didn't love each other. Barely like was as far as they got.

All they knew was that Damon was still in Mystic Falls.

They got Stefan to donate a vial of blood, found a map and Bonnie did a locator spell.

Ric and Elena both thought Bonnie was crazy when she said she could pull it off but then she explained that her Grams helped her from the other side before, and when the ghosts came back they could still do things.

The real crazy thing was that it did work. Vaguely. The blood spread out all over Mystic Falls.

Which kind of helped. Except he was no where to be found, and if Damon didn't want to be found no one was going to find him. Someone was always here just in case he came back, someone was always looking.

And nothing...


	4. Chapter 4

Elena wakes at the first ray of sunshine. She rolls over and grabs her phone off the night stand eager to see if anyone had found anything. When there are no missed calls or messages she pulls her calendar up. She counts the days as if she hasn't done it every morning.

Twenty-three days.

She should have known better than to think she would get to keep him. She had left him repeatedly, it was only fair he left her now. A small part of her was proud of him, he finally decided he wasn't going to take any more shit from her. No more being second best, no more waiting around.

And that other part of her that wasn't proud of him?

It is beyond furious with him.

She understood that he thought she was going back to Stefan, but he had to know that they had something real. After all he wasn't he the one that first told her that? She stops herself because she knows she's starting to sound self entitled, and she's not. He owes her nothing. He has repaid his debt to her. For feeding her his blood, for killing her brother, for hurting Caroline, and so much more. He made up for everything he had done to hurt her tenfold.

She wishes that she gave him more to hold onto. Something that would give him faith in her...in them.

"Elena."

"Morning Stefan."

"You've been laying up here for hours."

"I don't want to get out of bed." She pulls Damon's covers over her head. She just wanted to be left alone, but Stefan doesn't let her. He pulls them right off.

"Where did little miss 'we have to find Damon no matter what, no matter how long it takes, I can't not find him' go?"

"Stefan if he doesn't want to be found he's not going to be, and he _does not_ want me to find him."

"Do you really believe that?"

"I believe that he thinks I came back to you. I think he's tired of being second best. Stefan, he's lived his whole life never having real love. Damon loved his mother, and I know that she loved him. How could she not? Your father didn't love him the way he should have. I know you loved him, but there is so much bad blood that it was tainted. And Katherine, she screwed him in every way possible. He thought I loved him and then was told it was a lie. I didn't make it better Stefan. I wanted to but I thought it could wait. Look what happened then. So do I believe that? Yes. I believe he wants to get out of here more than anything. Maybe he already has."

"For someone who knows my brother better than even I do, you are being really dumb right now."

"Thanks Stefan."

"I was there Elena! I'm not stupid. I wish the both of you stopped acting like I was."

"What are you talking about?"

"Remember this? 'Where were you Damon?' 'I promise you, I will never leave you again.' Well I remember Elena. I knew there was more going on than either of you were willing to admit. I loved you so much, I wanted nothing more than for you to choose me, but even I was shocked when you did. You have loved Damon for longer than you ever let your self admit. If you give up now he will see how easy it was for you to let him go."

"How can he see something when he's no where to be found?"

"When Damon makes a promise he never breaks it. Especially when that promise is to you."

"Like you know where he is?"

"Maybe."

"Maybe? Why haven't you said anything?" She sits up quickly.

"Because I just figured it out."

"Explain?"

"I was sitting down stairs listening to you. I could hear you toss and turn all night. I figured I'd bring you up some of Damon's special bourbon. That's become your thing now too I've noticed. So I went down to the basement to get it but it's no where to be found."

"How is it gone?"

"He was here Elena."

"When? Someone has been here at all times."

"I don't know when, but he was here. Damon has spend all of these years perfecting vampirism. He knows more tricks than most vampires I've met. He's met some of the best and worked with them. He's smart Elena."

"He's here." She finally feels like breathing is normal again.

"Yeah. Damon knows how to survive. He promised to protect the Bennett line. My guess would be Emily gave him a safe haven for when he would have to come back to Mystic Falls. That would be the only way to keep a vampire safe from a witch." Stefan watches her and waits for it to click and when she smiles a real smile. One filled with hope he knows she figured it out.

"The old Salvatore grounds. He has to be there."

"Should we go?"

"Yeah. Let me get dressed quick."

"Meet you downstairs."

* * *

"Damon! I know your here."

"Come on brother. Did you really think I wasn't going to drink your bourbon? Soon as I saw it was gone I knew you were still here. No one knows that hiding spot besides us."

"Damon please. We need to talk."

"You know how stubborn she is. Might as well just come out and talk to her."

"He's right you know? I brought a backpack with me. I plan on camping out here until I find out where your hiding. Then when I do I'm going to kick your ass."

"We both know you would rather die than hurt her so my bet is on her kicking your ass. Then I can have my turn, I've been wasting all this time looking for you and you've been right here all along."

"Dammit Damon! Jeremy is alive, Ric is alive. We got them back. You best friend has been busting his ass trying to bring you back. He missed you too Damon. Stefan misses you, I miss you."

"How is Ric back?" He says coming out from no where. There is a spell on this place, someone wanted to keep him safe. Emily protected Damon, and Elena feels so grateful someone was looking out for him all these years.

"Damon..." She can't stop herself from throwing myself into his arms. He holds onto her the same way she holds him.

_Like a lifeline._

Elena pulls back as soon as she knows he's real, that he's alive and here with her, and punches him as hard as she can.

"I think I taught you too much. Get your girl under control Stef."

"You mean your girl?" Stefan tells him with a know it all smirk on his face, and Elena smiles at him. They were complete opposites most of the time but every now and again you can see the similarities. Elena knows now that above all else they are brothers. Brothers who hate, who love, but would die for each other.

"Go to hell brother." Damon seethes out. "What the hell happened once I left?"

"Bonnie is dead Damon. She traded her life for Jeremy's and we got Ric back to balance out everything we lost. You were dying and you left me, and then you weren't dying and you left any way. Damon we all looked for you. I was so worried. I was scared you were going to die alone and then I found out you were going to be okay. You left me, I read your letter. I tried to find you, I wasn't going to give up on you when you never gave up on me. I need you Damon, I always have, always will. But you were just going to up and leave without a goodbye."

"I don't do goodbyes."

"Bullshit. I got your letters."

"Not to break up this lovers quarrel, but I'm glad your alive and well brother. Elena, good luck. You'll need it. I'll see you back at home."

"Why did you have to find me?" Damon spats as if this was the worst thing in the world.

"Because you were so wrong."

"About?"

"Everything you thought."

"Cryptic doesn't suite you Elena."

"Can we go home Damon? Please?"

"No."

"No?"

"You heard me. I don't want to go back there. I'm not. I stayed for one purpose, to make sure Silas was gone, and Klaus stayed away. Once I'm positive they aren't just letting you get comfortable before striking I'm leaving. I'm not going to watch your fairytale. I'm done."

Elena is shell shocked. She doesn't know what to say. Everything she thought she could tell him, would tell him, seems moot. He doesn't want to hear it. He doesn't even want to be here. Knowing she's been looking for him, worried about him, scared makes no difference.

She had pushed him too far.


	5. Chapter 5

"Elena Gilbert open this freaking door right now! I will bust it down, you know I will. I know you don't want me to ruin Damon's door. So open it. Now! You have until the count of three. One! Two! Thr-"

"Stop! Who are you my mother?" Elena swings the door open, and vamp speeds right back into bed.

"If that's what I need to be right now then yes. Stefan told me you've been holed up in here for the past two days. You haven't even left to feed. Elena you know how dangerous that is."

"Caroline. I. Am. Fine."

"Clearly. Barricading yourself in Damon's room. Not feeding, ignoring everyone. How is that fine?"

"There is no danger to anyone right now."

"What does that matter? Stefan said you found Damon, that he's okay. That's good news. You have Ric and Jeremy back and it's like you don't care."

"How dare you! Get out!"

"Elena, that's not what I meant. It's just your not you anymore. I don't know how to help you."

"I didn't ask for your help."

"You need it though. Look at you, you have never given up on anything before, why are you giving up now?"

"Don't I have a right to finally give up? I have fought for everyone! Constantly. For two years of my life I spent worried about everything, everyone. My whole family is dead. All of my parents, Jenna, and Bonnie. We got Ric and Jeremy back and I can't be more thankful for that. But I lost Damon, Caroline. I know you don't understand it. You loved Tyler, he was good and everyone loved him so you can't possibly understand. You lost him, and it wasn't fair, but you can have him back now."

"You lost me."

"Care, I love Damon. I know you hate him, but he has made me feel more alive than I felt when I was alive. You said Stefan was my epic love but your wrong. Love isn't constant turmoil, it's not back and forth. When you are in love with someone you can't just fall in love with someone else. Love is salvation, it's making each other better, it's honesty. I turned and it felt was worse than death. It felt like I was still drowning and then Damon stepped in and I all of a sudden I wasn't drowning anymore. I was floating and breathing. Everyone thought it was the sire bond, but I knew it wasn't. I saw everything so much more clearly. It was always like that with Damon. Every single time he stepped in and did something good, or saved me I felt like I was going to be okay, that some how it would be okay because of him. I don't know how else to explain it."

"Love is Damon."

"Love is Damon, and it's too late. He has done horrible things, he has hurt so many people, but I understand Caroline. If I got screwed over by everyone I thought loved me, if I was never good enough, no matter how much good I did was never enough I would be like that too. He changed for me, and he has been the better man, and look where it got him. A sire bond thrown in his face because how could someone actually love him? I told him I would let him go when I chose Stefan and I couldn't do it. Every fiber of my being refused. I loved him long before I could ever accept it. He accepted me how ever I was. He tried to keep humanity-less Elena safe, and free and loved. He would never have given up on me. If it took a hundred years he would be by my side. Never judging me, just helping me and loving me. He is the only one who was able to get me to flip the switch back on. He knows me. Me as in whoever I am. Human, vampire, humanity, humanity-less. I'm just too late in realizing it. He's done with me Caroline and it's my fault. So excuse me if I give up."

"Elena. I didn't-"

"You didn't know, but now you do. So please just leave me alone. Let me grieve in peace so I can get back to my life."

"I'll leave but Elena I want you to know that I think you are one of the strongest people I know. I don't know how you do it. I don't know who you are right now because I don't know this you. The one that gives up. If love to you is Damon then fight for him."

Caroline has said what she came to say, there is nothing left for her to do here. She can't make Elena do anything she doesn't want to do. Really, there was only one person that ever could. She closes the door. She knows what she has to do next.

* * *

"Damon Salvatore! You come out right now! I know your here. Stefan told me! I'll give you to the count of three! Or I will get Jeremy to have Bonnie and her Grams get rid of your stupid spell. Don't think I won't. One. Two. Thr-"

"Shut. Up. Blondie. Who are you my mother?"

"Damn, you too are alike."

"What?"

"Elena. I gave her to the count of three too. She opened the door half way through three and said the same thing."

"Someone else finally told you to shut up?"

"No. The mother part."

"Where are you doing here?"

"I came to talk, and you owe me because I got Klaus back here to give me his blood. You hate owing people. So just pay up and it'll be over with."

"What do you need to talk to me about? You hate me, remember?"

"Yeah well, hating you isn't so easy these days. Want to sit? I brought bourbon."

"Even you knew this conversation was going to require alcohol."

"I maybe blonde Damon, but I'm not stupid."

"Okay, let's get this over with."

"Elena hasn't fed in two days."

"What am I suppose to do about it?"

"You remember the night you saved me from getting bit by Tyler?"

"Of course I do. Dumb idea, by the way."

"I don't believe you. You knew what could happen and did it anyway. For Elena. I know what you thought Damon. You knew she couldn't handle losing another person, and you thought her losing you would be easier because she loved me and not you."

"So what? I didn't die. It's over with."

"You were wrong. She did love you. The day after Katherine brought you Klaus' blood she came to my house and she told me about what happened. She was so scared she was going to lose you. She was worried there would be side effects, all she wanted was for you to be okay. She would have been devastated by your death. That's when I knew she loved you."

"So the whole 'you only feel this way because of the sire bond' was what exactly?"

"Because I didn't know she was in love with you. I was mad because I thought you used it to make her more like you, but I guess I was fooling myself. She doesn't need the sire bond for that."

"What are you trying to say? You are giving me whiplash."

"I'm trying to say I don't know if we will ever be friends, but that I was wrong about just how in love with her you are. Don't let her go Damon. She really does love you."

"You really don't expect me to divulge further into this with you do you?"

"No, this is my apology for disregarding her feelings for you because of how I feel about you. This is my thank you for saving me, and for what you told my mom the night she found out about me, I heard you. I just hated you so much at that point I couldn't acknowledge it. This is me trying to make it easier for the two of you by me making my peace with you. I just want Elena to be happy."

Caroline can tell by the way Damon is looking at her that this is hard for him to comprehend. Elena was right, he doesn't get enough credit where credit is due. So Caroline does something she thought she might never do, she gives Damon a real smile. One she's never given him, because even when she did like him she didn't really like him she was using him. He stuns her when he gives her one in return. She puts the bottle down on the ground and decides to leave him with what she's told him.

"Hey Blondie?"

She looks down at him and she can tell he doesn't feel comfortable at what he's going to say.

"You have a good mom, she loves you."

"Thanks Damon." She thinks...no she knows that's the nicest thing he's ever said to her, and it means the world to her. Damon cared for her mom and that meant something, he would never hurt her, he would protect her. Caroline leaves Damon sitting there more glad that she came than she thought she would be.


End file.
